Losing Her
by Jana Grace
Summary: He thought the world was a cruel place that could turn on you, take away what you loved most and ruin the meaning of your life. Jasper oneshot.


**/ losing her \**

_**he thought the world was a cruel place that could turn on you, take away what you loved most and ruin the meaning of your life.**_

**a/n: hello my babies (or whoever the hell takes the time to read the crap i write for no reason) so i was on a plane and i was bored. i don't really know why i enjoy killing piper. it's not that i don't like her. i really do. it's just entertaining. i decided to torture jason too. so if you guys don't have particularly strong feels you may or may not want to keep a tissue box nearby. just saying. oh and i don't even know if khione and cal and zethes are alive but i don't really care because this is kind of au so. yeah. enjoy.**

**disclaimer: i don't own pjo (dinosaur-like sobs sound in the distance)**

* * *

><p>"No!" Jason watched as Annabeth screamed, pushing herself against the bars. He'd never seen her this ... vulnerable. "No, it wasn't supposed to happen like this, no!"<p>

"Stop whining." Khione picked at her icy fingernails. She didn't seem to care at all. (Though, there was no reason for her to care in the first place.) She was painfully nonchalant, as if the world could end right then and there and she wouldn't care.

"Percy!" The blonde demigod shrieked, pulling on the bars as she sobbed. "Percy ..."

"Oh, relax," Khione snapped. "Your little boyfriend is fine."

Annabeth sniffed. "He is?"

A small smile (a cold one, I may add) graced Khione's lips. "Yes."

Annabeth's eyes widened before narrowing, and she growled. "He better be, and if he isn't, I will personally kill-"

"Whoa, Annabeth." Jason grabbed Annabeth by the arms as she attempted to attack Khione through the rusty bars of their prison.

"Feisty now?" Khione said in a teasing manner. She walked away slowly, hips swaying. "I'll be back soon, sweetheart."

Annabeth growled again. "I will kill her."

"Yeah." Piper exhaled. "We plan on it." She was sitting on the floor, back pushed against the stone wall. Her brown hair had been pulled up into a ponytail. (Naturally, of course, it was falling out.) She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, with combat boots, and despite the dirt on her face and the large gash on her shoulder, Jason still found her strangely attractive.

"If Percy isn't okay ..." Annabeth trailed off, sniffling.

"Hey, I'm sure he's-"

"Where did we go wrong?" Annabeth asked suddenly. "Why did they catch us? It was supposed to be a smooth rescue, we were supposed to get him and get out." She buried her head in her hands, crying. Jason felt pretty bad for her - she was a daughter of Athena. She _always _had a plan, and that plan _always _worked. Except for matters like these, of course, in which case they ended up getting captured, too, with no idea as to how to escape.

Piper sighed and got up, brushing off her pants.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked.

"What are _we_ doing," Piper corrected. "_We_ are getting out of here."

"How?" Annabeth asked desperately, her head still in her hands.

Piper bit her lip. "Not sure yet." She walked around the cell, examining each and every detail - every dent, every crevice, every hole. "This is one dirty cell."

Jason snorted. "Gee, I didn't notice."

"Don't sass me, Sparky." Piper looked up at him with a gorgeous glare, but it didn't take much to see the humorous glint in her sea green eyes. (Jason couldn't help but notice that at the moment, her eyes matched the shade of the captured Percy's.) "Aha!"

Jason perked up, and he rushed over to his girlfriend. "What did you find?"

"The key!" Piper exclaimed.

"What about it?"

"Look!" She pointed outside of the cell. "Khione must have dropped the key!"

Jason smiled slightly. "But how are we supposed to get it?"

Piper placed her hands on her hips. "Huh."

Jason ruffled her hair, shaking his head. "Keep looking, Pipes."

"Found it!"

"What now?"

"A rat," Piper replied.

"A what?"

Piper shrugged. "What's to bet that my charmspeak works on rats?"

"And what are you planning on doing with a rat?"

Piper held up a finger as she took the rat in her hand and rushed over to the door of the cell. She set the rat down on the floor and squatted down. "Hey there, buddy. Ya think you can do me a favor? Go grab that key over there, on the floor."

Miraculously, the rat scurried under the door and grabbed the key with his mouth. He ran back to Piper and dropped the key.

Jason's jaw dropped and Annabeth, who had looked up, started clapping.

Piper smiled. "Good boy! Very good boy!" She patted the rat's head and it ran off again. Grabbing the key, she stood up and stuck her arm between two of the bars, stretching to find the keyhole. Once she found it, her eyes brightened and she promptly stuck the key in the whole, twisting it.

The door opened.

"Yes!" Piper pumped her fist. Jason grabbed her and spun her around, kissing her.

"I love you. So. Freaking. Much."

"I know." Piper grinned arrogantly. "Don't doubt me next time."

"Can you please not do that in front of me?" Annabeth asked, but her smile reached her puffy eyes.

"Oh."

"Right."

Annabeth laughed as the three of them walked out of the cell. "I'm just kidding. Well, as long as we save Percy. Where would you think his cell is?"

Piper thought for a bit. "I'd assume somewhere, you know, where it's kinda hard to find him."

Jason arched an eyebrow.

Piper held up her hands in defense. "Hey. I'm not the smart one here."

Annabeth snorted. "Yeah, the smart one is kind of depressed right now."

And the three of them laughed, without a worry in the world. At that moment, anyway. Because, of course, they were heroes, and as Percy Jackson had once said, the best people had the rottenest luck.

Alarms started blaring. Red lights flashed through the hallway.

Piper blanched. "They know."

"Sneaky, are we?" The three of them whipped around. Khione was walking toward them, flanked by Cal and Zethes. She smiled that cold smile Jason hated as she grew sharp, icy shards - Cal had his weird sword/icicle thing, and Zethes a traditional bronze sword.

"It's great to see you again," Zethes said, grinning at Piper. "Beautiful as ever, dear."

Piper gritted her teeth. "What do you want?"

"What do we want?" Khione cackled. "We want you dead. You were disobedient. For that, you are ... what do those mortal parents say? Floored? No, that cannot be it. Grounded. That's it. _Permanently_."

"That's harsh," Piper said under her breath.

"Where's Percy?" Annabeth demanded.

"Somewhere," Khione replied. "I won't harm him. Probably."

"If you do-"

"Relax, honey. There's a small probability of me hurting him. Physically."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, her voice unnaturally small.

"How sad, how broken he would be, if he was freed to find his poor little girlfriend dead." Khione held an ice shard to Annabeth's throat, pressing slightly. "And really, he'd probably want to die too."

Piper closed her eyes.

Jason noticed.

"Don't you dare," Jason warned.

She opened her eyes, looking sadly at Jason.

"Piper McLean, don't you dare!" He screamed.

How sad, how broken Jason would be, if he was freed to find his poor little girlfriend dead.

Khione remained focused on Annabeth, pressing harder and drawing blood. She whimpered, even more vulnerable than before, her gray eyes wide with fear. (Today was _not _her day.)

"I've fought her before," Piper said quietly, her hand resting on Katoptris.

"I know, but please," Jason pleaded, his eyes brimming with tears. "Piper, you can't do this for us, _please._"

"I love you," she whispered.

"Piper-"

"RUN!" Piper yelled forcefully, whipping out her dagger and slashing Khione across her cheek. She stumbled back, and against their will Annabeth and Jason turned and ran as fast as they could, Jason screaming Piper's name. Zethes and Cal stood there, watching with dumbfounded expressions, as poor little Piper McLean prepared herself for her demise.

"Don't go after them," Khione said, smiling cruelly as she wiped blood from the cut. "Zethes, stay and help me ... deal ... with this girl. Cal, free the boy. Make him watch this battle first, for proof, and then give him back to the girl."

They obeyed.

Piper spoke her last words.

"I'm sorry, Jason."

* * *

><p>"You're lying."<p>

Percy shook his head, sniffling. "I'm not. I saw the battle. I'm sorry."

"You saw the fight?" Jason asked.

Percy nodded.

Jason's eyes narrowed. "And you didn't help her?" He roared, attempting to launch himself on Percy. Annabeth grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back.

Percy's eyes widened. "I couldn't do anything about it, they didn't let me, I'm sorry, Jason, I'm sorry!"

"You good-for-nothing sea spawn!" Jason bellowed. "I hate you!"

Annabeth gasped. "Jason!"

"You didn't even try?" He demanded. "You just watched her, let her die?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Percy yelled back, his voice cracking. "It was a useless cause! She was going to die anyway!"

"I can't believe you!" Jason screamed. "I can't believe you wouldn't even do anything! Wouldn't call for help or try to help her or anything! I hate you, Percy Jackson! I hate you!"

It took a while for Jason Grace to realize that his dear Piper McLean had died for a reason, of course. She had died a hero's death, sacrificed herself for her friends. How dreadful it would have been for her to have died in vain, for Jason and Percy to be launched into war against each other because Percy had been completely powerless.

And so, he sunk to the ground, dropping his head into his hands and crying until he went dry.

All he wanted was to have Piper there, holding onto his hand, kissing him, telling him once again that the world wasn't so bad.

Naturally, though, he'd never believed it. He thought the world was a cruel place that could turn on you, take away what you loved most and ruin the meaning of your life.

Especially then.

* * *

><p>And really, he'd probably want to die too.<p>

Of course Jason Grace was depressed. It was to be expected. After all, how would you feel, if the great love of your life was ripped away from you, and you never got to see them again?

(Never even got to say goodbye.)

Poor Jason hadn't seen sunlight in days, hadn't eaten a full meal in weeks and had barely made any contact with the rest of the sick world.

Leo Valdez would stop by occasionally, attempt to cheer him up. Though, naturally, he wasn't so happy either. Piper was his best friend, sister even, and the two boys usually ended up crying together.

One hot, sticky July night, Jason sat at the edge of his bed, tired of everything. Tired of the pity, tired of the constant knocking at his door and the attempts to make him feel better, tired of life in general.

He eyed the bottle in his hands suspiciously, turning it over with his fingers slowly. Carefully, he twisted off the cap.

This was his last chance. Last chance at another try, another attempt to live a good life. But life, just as the world itself, was cruel, dark, terrible. He didn't want it. He didn't want any of it. The world was just as bad as he'd ever thought, and as hard as his girlfriend might have tried, nothing could convince him to believe otherwise. Killing the love of his life guaranteed it.

He drank it all down in one gulp.

Because, he thought. What was the point in living when your life was gone?


End file.
